Doing the Impossible

Trusting in God's help, he must in love obey. RB80.68.5

Okay, so I am asked to do something I consider impossible. This request is not just something outside of my comfort zone but pretty much out of the realm of possibility. What am I to do???

I, personally, have never been known to step away from a challenge--no matter what form it might take. But then, I have never really been asked to do anything that I consider impossible or unbearable, just difficult at times.

When I first entered community, I had a well rehearsed list of things that I would never plan on doing...so don't even ask. This list included everything from never driving on less than ideal roads, to not ever choosing to eat unfamiliar foods, to not wanting to spend hours attached to an office. Needless to say, I have tried doing most of these things at one time or another. The secret was to be open enough to trust that those in leadership might possibly have a fuller vision of the truth than I might have at the time.

In chapter 68, Benedict encourages the person to accept "impossible" tasks quietly and at least try to do what was being asked. There is an opportunity to plead a case to be relieved of the burden but only after an honest attempt has been made to fulfil the request. If even after this the request still stands, the person is to accept the assignment quietly and rely on God's grace.

What I have found for myself is that when I am willing to suspend my own will even for a little while and try a new task...the impossible may actually turn out to be possible and I might even discover that I have new talents.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Example and Teaching

Goodness of life and wisdom in teaching must be the criteria for choosing the one to be made abbot, even if he is the last in community rank. RB80.64.2

Goodness of life (virtue) and wisdom in teaching (example) are to be the criteria for choosing the leader.

The leader needs to be one who is familiar with the rules and guidelines and has shown understanding of them through the way life is lived. Ideally, the person in charge is someone who also is a good follower and a good team player. I need to know how to be part of the group before I can accept the responsibility of directing others. How am I living according to the prescribed guidelines of the group?

It is often said that actions speak much louder than words. Am I showing others through my own example how to live in harmony with others? Do my attitudes and actions betray some form of inner conflict with existing norms or with those in authority?

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Experience Counts

Therefore, apart from those mentioned above whom the abbot has for some overriding consideration promoted, or for a specific reason demoted, all the rest should keep to the order of their entry. For example, someone who came to the monastery at the second hour of the day must recognize that he is junior to someone who came at the first hour, regardless of age or distinction. RB80.63.7-8 Looking at this selection from the Rule my first reaction is to consider it somewhat picky. I mean, am I really going to be the junior of someone who happened to show up at the door just a few minutes before me??? That is something hard for me to understand at face value. I would much prefer a system where age, or likability, or personality, or something I can achieve carries power. Looking at the passage more closely, though, I realize the inherent wisdom here. It reminds me that status in community is not arbitrary. I do not get automatic status because I am the leader's buddy, or because I can buy myself into a powerful position. I can move up or down in rank only according to the virtue of my life. My living out of this life (how I live out Gospel values daily) is the only means through which I can rise or descend in status. The decision is mine. How do I choose to life my commitments today? Sr. Catherine, OSB

Perseverance in Trials

Chapter 58 of the Rule of Benedict offers insight and guidance on the reception of new members into the community. It spells out the procedure for accepting the uninitiated into the group. At first glance, it seems a little extreme to keep a person knocking on the door for an extended length of time to test the sincerity of their intentions. Few would endure the "testing" of their purpose over a prolonged period of time. (At least, I am pretty sure that I would have rethought my intial decision more than once if I had received such a harsh welcome.) The novel, The Hawk and The Dove Trilogy, by Penelope Wilcock, offers a scene which in which the young person is left in the cold for various days before being re-accepted into the community (after a departure). In a sense, he was required to prove the firmness of his renewed intent. The testing that happens to the new is not meant to traumatize the person or to drive them away but rather to provide a reality check from the start about the nature of the commitment to be undertaken. One of our former formation directors used to tell her novices regularly that they had not signed up to join the Girl Scouts when they entered community. I think this is the basic message of today's passage. On entering a monastic community, the person is opening themselves us to be part of the joys and struggles that might come with this group. This is both the joy and the penance of community living. Sr. Catherine, OSB

Distribution According to Need

The abbot, however, must always bear in mind what is said in the Acts of the Apostles: Distribution was made to each one as he had need (Acts 4:35). In this way the abbot will take into account the weaknesses of the needy, not the evil will of the envious; yet in all his judgments he must bear in mind God's retribution. RB80. 55.20-22 THINGS!!!!! I have a habit of acquiring more and more things even when I am not intending to. Sometimes it almost seems as if my possessions multiply spontaneously just by being in close proximity to one another. After a while it becomes a question of do I actually possess these things or do they possess me. It's not that I am greedy, a hoarder or never share my things; it's more like people offer me their hand me downs or show me an interesting new craft project and I slowly find myself in a sea of things again. So, how can I keep better track of this and simplify my life so that what I have readily available are the tools I truly need for my daily life?

• Ask myself if the individual things I have are what I need or if there are others who could use some of these things better? Do I really need 3 sweaters that are not the right size anymore or can I give them to charity?


• Are there things that I have that I might be able to share with others? If I only do 1 knitting project every two years do I really need a full set of special knitting needles and an assortment of the best yarns available--just because they were on sale?


• What do I really need for me life to be complete? What can I do with less of?

These are just a few of the questions that I address regularly in my life as I look at my relationship with things.

Sr. Catherine, OSB

Flexibility is the Key

The kitchen for the abbot and guests ought to be separate, so that guests--and monasteries are never without them--need not disturb the brothers when they present themselves at unpredictable hours. RB80.53.16 Flexibility can be a blessing in life. The ability to adapt to different circumstances and to roll with whatever happens without undue stress and anxiety can be a rare gift. It is a skill that is necessary to practice hospitality. Growing up, my younger sister would call me "Gumby" after the plasticine, animated character that was able to be stretched and bent in a multitude of ways and would still return to it's original shape--no matter what shapes it had been formed into earlier. She was referring not just to my physical flexibility but my emotional flexibility which allowed me to be open to surprises and to challenges. The word impossible did not seem to exist in my dictionary and I could easily be energized by seemingly daunting tasks. Actually, the more challenging the situation the better I seemed to handle it. St. Benedict is asking me today to have the same attitude with guests and those I encounter daily. I am invited to open myself to the challenges and different opportunities which are offer daily. Sr. Catherine, OSB

Reception of Guests

Great care and concern are to be shown in receiving poor people and pilgrims, because in them more particularly Christ is received; our very awe of the rich guarantees them special respect. RB80.53.15 The hospitality that Benedict is calling forth in community is an openning of myself, my life, my home, my comfort for the sake of the other...no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable. He actually recommends that extra kindness and care be shown to those who are least likely to be the "desired" guest--the poor, the traveler, the elderly, the young, the sick. These guests require a little extra effort on my part because they come needier. Benedict makes reference to Matthew 25 in his instructions for the care of the guest since Christ is to be received in all who show up at our doors--no matter how hard it is to see Christ. There are some among us for whom this type of open welcome comes naturally. It is as if they were born with an innate ability to be welcoming and open to all and everyone who crosses their path. That is a true talent. My mom was like that...she was able to see beyond outward appearances and to treat everyone as a treasured friend. This skill is present even to this day in the number of people that my parents know from the neighborhood, church, and town that consider my parents among their special friends. I would like to believe that I learned that skill from my parents and am continuing to grow in that. When I am attentive to my surroundings, I am able to be open to all I meet. I find that most when I am traveling and fellow passengers strike up conversations with me along the way. I always feel richer for the experience of openning myself up to others. How can I be more open to Christ in my life today in others? Sr. Catherine, OSB

Living Intentionally

Our monastic community is in the beginning stages of performing a self-study. It is an opportunity that we take every 6 years to look at our lives as they are lived, individually and communally, and to assess our strengths, weaknesses and areas for potential growth. Part of this process involves and extensive survey. At the end of our current survey we added a few essay questions about our life. One of the questions was Am I living my monastic life the way I intend to live it? Explain. Although I usually do not have a big problem with telling others what I think and feel, this question caused me to pause for a few minutes. I had to stop and evaluate whether I was making use of the opportunities and support offered to me in life. Am I really living life to its fullest extent for me and also for others? What are some things that need to change within me in order to maximize my life? How can I choose to be a more authentic image of God for others? Chapter 50 of the Rule today (Brothers Working At a Distance or Travelling) reminds me that there does not need to be a dichotomy in my life between who I am at home and who I am away from the group. I need to strive for that singleness of purpose that allows me to be who I am wherever I may find myself. This will be what attracts others to God and to our community. May I strive to be a more authentic image of God's love daily. Sr. Catherine, OSB